National Republican., 1887-01-05
THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
when and by whom 1t Was First Orig
mated.

mated.
Mr.. William II. Gordon, prominent at
tornoy Of st. Joseph, Mo-, Is In the city,
and his arrival here revives a matter that
has caused considerable agitation In the
Postofllce Department, and In few words,
IL is "who originated the railway mail ser
viceT The inside history Of this matter
seems to have been held secret by the de-
partment without just reason. aud not only
this, but In q report on the subject called
for by the House subcommittee on post
Offices and postroads, II was then and only
then that the true facts were brought out
as IL were, by compulsion. In the original
report or history OF the railway
mail service, submitted to the Senate In
January, 1885, credit was given 10 Mr.. VIM.
a. Davis as u inventor and discoverer of
The service, but an examination OF the re-
port exhibited the fact that II had been
manipulated to such an extent that the
erasures and omissions made the report
convey a different impression to that de-
signed by Its authors. Senator Cockrell
became interested and offered resolution
In the Senate on Feb. 4, 1885, calling for
the reasons for erasures and omissions
in the history submitted. The Post
master General replied that the inter.
lineations were simply the result of final
revision Of the document. In the same letter
was the following sentences "No material
fact or document pertaining to Mr.. Davis or
any other person has been omitted.n 1t
was this characteristic expression that
brought forth the ire of Mr.. Davis's friends,
who, on reading the history OF the service,
found no mention Of his name, or Of his be-
ing the originator Of the system. There was
not found In the report the bill passed In
Congress known as the railway mail car
bill, OF which Mr.. Davis was the author,
nor the letters OF Superintendent II. @.
Whiting and George Ii. Nettleton, OF the
Hannibal and Sc. 10 railroad, under whose
supervision MIR. Davis had his cars
constructed. The credit Of originating
the railway postolllce was given to the
late George b. Armstrong, Of Chicago,
who, In July, 1869 (when the Davis
system was found success), was assist
ant postmaster at Chicago. Armstrong,
hearing OF the success Of Davis's system
OF distributing the mails between Quincy
and st. Joseph, obtained authority to inau-
gurate similar service on the railroad be.
tween Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. His
cars were arranged exactly us those de-
signed by Mr.. Davis. He had all the mail
distributed In transit, while Mr.. Davis
only distributed the overland mail.
and improved the system, and his friends
attempted to award him the credit which
did not belong to him. To substantiate the
claim that Mr.. Davis was the protector OF
the system his friends put themselves In
correspondence with many leading men,
and Mr.. Gordon, who is Mr.. Dayis's SON.
in.law, took an eager and active part In
the correspondence. Mr.. U. G. Whitney,
who was an official of the San Francisco
and North Pacific Railroad Company, wrote
Mr.. Gordon that Mr.. Davis came to him at
Hannibal in the spring of 1862 and suggested
to him the propriety Of asserting the mail
while In transit between Hannibal and st.
Joseph. Very soon afterward he began
the construction Of two cars on the plans
designated by Mr.. Davis, who also fire.
quently visited the shops during the con-
struction of the cars and made suggestions
from time to time in regard to the design
oi The interior arrangements. Mr.. Charles
u. Macy, superintendent of the st. Joseph,
Mo-, postofllce, in a strong letter to Mr.
Gordon, stated that 'the boys used to
make all kind of sport of Mr.. Davis and
his overland mail car, as they called It, 1t
was his hobby and his idea, and there can
be no doubt but he was the originator of
the railway mail service of this country
and the first man to make a practical test
OF the same. The idea was opening
mail while en- route.n Mr.. Guy q. Barton
testifes to the fact of Mr.. Davis's claim and
gives true history Of 1t, being at the time
connected with the st. Joseph postofIlce,
and was one Of the clerks first sent out to
try the system. Hundreds Of letters have
been received by Mr. Gordon and the friends
OF Mr.. Davis showing his originality and
invention Of the system. The whole matter,
In few words only, bears out the truth that
born in 1909 in Barren county, Ky, aud
was connected with the Postoffice Depart
ment for fifty years, and until the day of
bis death. which occurred Jan. 10, 1876.
His friends know the great value Of his
services to the government, and they feel
aggrieved at the fact that the government, in
giving forth to the world the history OF the
railway, mail service, should fail to give Mr..
stow 1t upon man who only copied Mr..
Davis, and afterward was given authority
to make improvements.